The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 121

Chapter 121   Lizetta’s Proposal

With the defeat of the “Flood Dragon,” its amphibian minions retreated back into the lake.

Laurent made his way to the lakeshore to meet Lilianne after the battle when a large, light-blue orb rolled to his feet.

(This is… the dragon core of the ‘Flood Dragon’)

“Laurent!”

“Whoa, Lilianne!?”

As Laurent was inspecting the dragon core, Lilianne suddenly dove down from above. Laurent quickly caught her in his arms.

“Hehe, what do you think? I took down the ‘Flood Dragon’ all by myself!”

Lilianne nuzzled her cheek against Laurent’s.

“Yeah, that was incredible. Your agility with ‘Floating’ and the power of your ‘Lightning Strike’ were amazing.”

As Laurent gently stroked her soft hair, she closed her eyes contentedly.

Elio, Hans, and Will watched the scene from a distance.

“Haha, amazing. She really took down the ‘Flood Dragon’ all by herself,” Elio said in admiration.

“So that’s the Witch of Lightning… She’s even more impressive than the stories say,” Hans added, half in awe.

“But thanks to her, I think I understand a little better now,” Will said.

“I understand what’s missing in me… and what it means to become an A-rank adventurer.”

With thoughts of becoming A-rank adventurers in their hearts, the three began to reflect on what they needed to achieve that goal.

“Laurent, this isn’t the time to be basking in victory,” Jeff said as he rushed over to Laurent.

“The guys from the ‘Dragon’s Embers’ are almost here. We need to deal with them quickly.”

“Oh, right. Everyone, gather up,” Laurent called out.

After checking on the condition of his squad and ensuring they had recovered, they immediately began to move.

As they advanced, Laurent sent out archers and thieves to scout the area. Through their reconnaissance, it became clear that the ‘Dragon’s Embers’ alliance had no intention of engaging in a fight. It seemed they were heading toward the mining site.

(With such a large group heading to the mining site, their goal must be to deplete the ore. If they mine out all the resources along the Lake Route, they can cut off the supply line to the ‘Spirit Workshop’ and gain an upper hand in ore trading negotiations. They’ve changed their strategy.)

Realizing the enemy’s plan, Laurent decided to get ahead of them and reach the mining site first. Unlike the large enemy force, the small but elite team from the ‘Spirit Workshop’ quickly outpaced them and secured a high vantage point near the narrow path leading to the mining site.

“Are we not going to engage them? I thought combat between adventurers was allowed,” Lilianne asked.

“Yes, it is, but in this dungeon with such uneven terrain, holding the high ground is crucial. Besides…” Laurent paused.

“…the others aren’t too eager for a fight, are they?” Lilianne finished his thought.

“Exactly. The adventurers on this island tend to avoid direct combat to conserve their strength. That’s why it’s better to take a strategic position and fortify our defenses.”

“I see,” Lilianne nodded.

“We’ll also be relying on you for the attack. Is that alright?” Laurent asked.

“Understood,” Lilianne replied confidently.

Realizing that Laurent had secured the high ground, the members of the “Dragon’s Embers” alliance were divided on how to respond.

Edgar had instructed them to focus solely on acquiring the ore and avoid combat. Faced with the enemy blocking their path, they debated fiercely whether to fight or retreat, but no consensus was reached.

As they hesitated and continued to argue, Laurent prepared his attack. He identified the weakest point in their stats and directed Lilianne to strike. (The “Dragon’s Embers” had not optimized their equipment for each adventurer, which led to unnecessary depletion of their stats.)

Lilianne flew above them using “Levitation” and unleashed a “Lightning Strike.” Just one strike was enough to send the “Dragon’s Embers” alliance fleeing in panic.

Lilianne was taken aback by how easily they retreated.

(Oh my, even with the odds against them, they ran away so quickly. I see… even Laurent might struggle to train them.)

Afterward, Laurent and his team mined as much ore as they could from the site and returned to the town.

The town erupted in celebration upon hearing the news of the successful defeat of the “Flood Dragon.” The reputation of the “Spirit Workshop” continued to soar.

On the other hand, the “Dragon’s Embers” guild was once again enveloped in a sense of stagnation following the news of their defeat.

In the conference room, Medes was shouting furiously.

“What the hell is going on!? Didn’t we agree that if we focused on mining the ore, we could defeat the ‘Spirit Workshop’? And now you’re telling me that not only did we fail to starve them out, but we didn’t even bring back a single piece of ore? How is that even possible? Edgar! You were in charge of this project. Explain yourself!”

“Huh? This doesn’t make any sense. What the hell were those adventurers doing? I told them explicitly not to engage in combat.”

“Now’s not the time to blame the adventurers! Do you realize this is a crisis for our entire guild? Think about it. If we couldn’t bring back any ore, that means the ‘Spirit Workshop’ can cut off our ore supply at any time. Do you understand what that means? We could end up being completely dependent on the ‘Spirit Workshop’ for our ore. And if that happens… Do you all realize what it means? Don’t think you’ll keep your high salaries if other guilds gain the upper hand. You’ll lose your jobs!”

As Medes continued to berate them, the staff only grew more despondent, their expressions increasingly grim.

(So, it didn’t work after all.)

Raoul slumped, realizing his worst fears had come true.

(Laurent wasn’t someone who could be beaten by such petty tactics. This is exactly when I, as the guild’s ace, should be leading, but I can’t think of anything. What should I do…)

“Hey, how do you all plan to take responsibility for this? Is there anyone here who can do something about it?”

Medes fumed, but no one had an answer. Everyone hung their heads, staying silent in the face of an unsolvable problem.

“Turning a blind eye to reality won’t help, you know?”

Suddenly, Lizetta spoke up. Everyone in the room turned their attention to her.

“The driving force behind the rapid rise of the ‘Spirit Workshop’ is none other than the power of their S-class appraiser. Isn’t that right? Take a look at this.”

Lizetta pulled out a pamphlet from the “Spirit Workshop” and held it up for everyone to see.

“What’s this?”

“An S-class appraiser’s training program?”

“The ‘Spirit Workshop’ is not just an alchemy guild. As you can see, they also focus on training adventurers. This is likely the secret to their rapid growth. To counter the ‘Spirit Workshop,’ I propose that we establish a new adventurer training team led by an appraiser!”